02 Meets 00
by Ryan Griffin
Summary: Who were the first Digidestined? What were their crests? And what would happen if the current Digidestined found their Digieggs? Or worse, their enemies?
1. Nobility

The beginning of this little saga takes place where it normally did; the computer room of Odaiba Elementary School. It was late at night, and Koushiro Izumi, known to his friends as "Izzy," was typing away, trying to access the further remnants of the Digital World.   
Recently, the current crew of Digidestined defeated Ken Ichijouji, a.k.a., the Digimon Emperor. The Digidestined were known as Davis, Yolei, Cody, T.K., and Kari. Davis, their leader, was able to allow Veemon to become Magnamon and was able to defeat Ken. Since then, Ken denounced his evil ways, and was currently back at his home. Izzy was checking the areas of the Digital World for loose Control Spires, hoping to alert the others and destroy them.   
Then, as if to mock Izzy, a white square became black, as did several others near it. It continued until the Spires created a distinct shape in the landmass.   
The shape of a Digivice. 

  
"So," Cody, the youngest of the group, asked, "what is this supposed to mean? Why did the Spires take on the shape of a Digivice?"   
"I've come up with several theories to go with that," Izzy began, which was a signal to the other kids to stop listening and be prepared for a long discussion, "Perhaps the spires have been moved by another Digimon, or else there are no spires, just a portion of dark energy."   
"If that's the case," T.K. said, "then why is it in the shape of our old Digivices? Is that just to lure us there?"   
"Precisely what I had in mind."   
"*Sigh*, can we just skip the theories and get to the part where we trash the spires?" Davis, being rather impatient and blockheaded, preferred to skip the boring planning and get right to the action.   
"If you didn't hear what T.K. just said," Yolei said, raising her voice, "you'd know that it's probably a trap!"   
"Number one, everything that comes out of C.K.'s mouth comes to my ears as 'Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.'…"   
T.K. sweatdropped. _At least one of the letters was right_, he thought.   
"And second," Davis continued, "we've gone into plenty of traps before, and we've always managed to get out of it."   
"Yes," Cody said, "But those times, we knew our enemy, but now, we don't know who's at the wheel. That makes this very dangerous."   
"Perhaps," Kari suggested, "rather than go into the situation headfirst, we go in and spy, then draw up a battle plan from that."   
"And if we get into any trouble, we can just Armor Digivolve and destroy whatever it is!"   
"Yeah," Demi Veemon, Davis's Digimon partner exclaimed, "I can become Flamedramon, or Raidramon, or Magnamon! I'm a one-Digimon army!" With that, he started to strike battle poses on top of Davis's head, which is hard to describe, and hard not to laugh at.   
With that, Poromon started flying across the room, and Upamon began hopping insanely up and down yelling incoherent phrases.   
With that in mind, the new Digidestined put their D-3s to the computer screen and were sucked into the Digiworld.   
For anyone to walk in, it would be very hard to explain what happened. That was the very position Izzy was in when Mr. Fujiyama entered the room.   


"Man, none of this stuff looks familiar," Davis said, looking around at the scenery. He was in his Digiworld clothes, and Veemon had become his Rookie form.   
"That's because we've never been here before," Yolei said, sweatdropping.   
"Hey," Cody noticed something on his D-3, "There's something up north, and its giving a reading on my D-3!"   
"Is it lunch?" Armadillomon, thinking with his stomach, said.   
"No, it appears to be a Digiegg," Cody said.   
"Can I still eat it?"   
"How can there be more Digieggs?" TK asked, ignoring Armadillomon, "We've already got the eggs of all eight crests, as well as the Golden Digiegg. What more is there?"   
"Well PC," Davis said, misspeaking T.K.'s name again, "We'll just have to get there and see!"   
With that, Davis ran towards the blip on his D-3 with Veemon and the others in tow.   
Meanwhile, a winged figure was poised in a nearby tree, evaluating the situation.   
_ It can't be. They're out in the open? With that Emperor still in control? Even I have to hide from that arrogant brat._   
_ Wait a minute, there are five this time, not six. And their Digivices and Digimon partners aren't the same. These are new Digidestined. This is perfect. I have no better time to strike these newcomers and feed off their deleted data!_   


The group of Digidestined entered what seemed to be a cave. Feathers covered the entire inside of the cave. This was rather uncomfortable for Yolei, who was allergic to down.   
On a raised platform was a rather small egg. It was white with purple markings, what looked like wings sprouted from the back, and two blades sprouted from its front. On its front was a symbol that looked like a crown surrounded by a halo of feathers.   
Davis was the first to grasp the egg, and, lo and behold, it was lifted.   
"I thought it would take more than that," Kari exclaimed.   
"Wow! I get to Armor Digivolve again!" Veemon said, "I wonder what I'll be!"   
"Well, we'll just have to see!" Davis held the egg in the air and said "Digi-Armor, Energize!" However, the egg did not glow nor did Veemon transform. "What's the matter with this stupid thing, Digi-Armor, Energize!" Nothing again.   
"Don't worry, Davis, it'll open sooner or later," Yolei assured him.   
"I wonder what crest this is," Cody took a closer look at the egg, "It's like nothing I've ever seen before."   
That was when T.K. remembered something from long ago.   
"Kari, you remember the fight with Apocalymon, right?"   
"Of course, how could I forget?"   
"Well, Gennai said that a group of Digidestined fought Apocalymon and banished him. What if this egg comes from one of the first kid's crests?"   
The other three looked at the two, puzzled. They never heard of this before.   
"You are correct in that statement, lad. That statement, however, will be one of your last."   
The voice came from the whole sides of the cave, and then, at the mouth, appeared a tall figure.   
He looked somewhat like a humanoid dragon. He had huge wings sprouted from his back and a large tail. His les, arms, and torso were all human-shaped, but ended in talons and were covered in armor. Blades sprouted from his wrists.   
His neck was rather long, and his head was the classical dragon look. His forehead was covered in horns and his mouth ended in a curved beak. His eyes were red and decidedly cruel.   
Despite his awesome premise, he looked weak. His legs, arms, torso, and tail were nothing but skin and bones. His wings drooped. He had obviously seen better days.   
That didn't stop him from looking menacing.   
"Who are you," Davis demanded.   
"I am Preydramon. I am a Digimon without specific data that uses the deleted data of other Digimon to strengthen me and provide me with attributes. My current attacks of Blade Fire and Dragon's Breath will make any enemy charred to a cinder.   
"I see that you hold the powers of Nobility," He referred to Davis, "and I don't like that. For that, you will die slowly, and only after you watch your friends' demise."   
"So this is the Digiegg of Nobility," Davis muttered, before turning to Preydramon, "Oh yeah, well, you look like you could star in a 'Save the Children' commercial. We could take you down right now."   
"Oh, really," He smiled, "Well, can you take down this?"   
At that, the cave walls broke down, and several Dinosaur and Dragon type Digimon appeared. They all had Dark Rings on them.   
"Those Dark Rings are rather useful when you're controlling them, rather than being controlled by them. Now, my control won't break, even if the rings do, so don't try anything."   
Well, wasting no time, Raidramon, Halsemon, Digmon, Pegasusmon, and Nefertimon were all fighting their opponents. A Star Shower took down an Airdramon, a Gold Rush knocked a Tyrannomon down, a Tempest Wing brought a Kuwagamon down, Raidramon's Thunder Blast put a few Monochromon out of commission, and a Rosetta Stone knocked out a charging Skull Greymon. After all was said and done, the Armor Digimon became Rookies again and the opponents were being deleted.   
"Ah, my plan goes perfectly," Preydramon opened his mouth, "Consuming Vacuum!" And with that, a sonic force carried the deleted data of the dying Digimon into Preydramon's mouth. Now, he didn't look so weak as before. In fact, he grew about three feet taller and now could star in an Arnold Schwartzenegger movie rather than a Save the Children ad. He was also humongous, whereas before he was the size of a full grown human.   
Yolei let out a perturbed gasp, Cody's expression hardened, Davis, T.K., and Kari just stood there in shock.   
"Now we shall see who will die."   
"Blade Fire!" One of his wrist blades grew flames and he flew toward them, blade outstretched. They jumped out of the way, but Preydramon just stopped, hovered in midair, and yelled, "Dragon's Breath," and a huge blast of blue flame hurtled toward them.   
Davis, not a big fan of running away, accessed the Golden Digiegg on his D-Terminal, yelling, "Golden Armor Energize!"   
Veemon did not glow a golden light and Digivolve to Magnamon, as expected. "Davis," he yelled, "I'm too tired, and Ken needs to be here for me to Gold Digivolve!"   
Davis was worried now, because with the Control Spire energy blocking Patamon and Gatomon from Digivolving, Magnamon was their only hope. But, he had a backup plan. However, he would've preferred Magnamon to be there.   
"Preydramon!" he yelled, "don't hurt my friends! Take me instead!"   
"What are you doing?" Yolei asked.   
"Buying you some time. If he's distracted by me, then you guys can run for it."   
"What?" Preydramon asked, "You want to sacrifice yourself so your friends may be spared?" _Dear lord, he really does carry Nobility_.   
"Yes. I'll come quietly," Davis moved forward.   
"Davis!" Veemon yelled. But by then, Preydramon held him in his claw.   
"Hah!" Preydramon laughed, "But now with you gone, what's keeping me from eating your friends as well? What a waste!" Preydramon opened his mouth to consume Davis, until a deep purple light glowed deeply from Davis's arm. Preydramon dropped Davis, but he was caught by Veemon.   
"Davis! Are you all right?" Veemon asked, putting the larger human down.   
"I think so, but the Digiegg is glowing," Davis extracted the Digiegg of Nobility.   
"Your self sacrifice must have unlocked the egg's powers, Davis," Kari said.   
"Well then, you up for the challenge, Veemon?" Davis asked.   
"Yeah! Let's try it!" Veemon took a fighting stance.   
"Digi-Armor, Energize!"   
"_Veemon, Armor Digivolve to…_" Veemon was surrounded by purple feathers, which took a silhouette much different than Veemon's, as he was powered by the attributes of the First Digidestined's Digimon.   
The new Digimon looked somewhat like a cross between Preydramon and Flamedramon. He had white armor covering his chest, forearms, and legs. Blue feathers covered the parts of his body that had no armor. His head looked like an elongated version of Veemon's. From his back sprouted huge wings covered in purple feathers. On his wrists were huge feathers, as sharp as any sword.   
He was dangerous and yet peaceful. He was…   
"_…Slaydramon, the warrior of Nobility_."   
"Slaydramon?" Davis asked, "Then where's the reindeer?"   
"Not Sleigh-dramon," Hawkmon said, "Slaydramon. He's a Dragon Man Digimon with impressive speed and the heart of a warrior. His attacks are Feather Sword and Whirlwind Wing. Preydramon is in for a tough fight."   
"NO! This can't be! Not again! I died by Nobility once! It won't happen again, DRAGON'S BREATH!" Preydramon was very worried. His attacks became more frantic.   
"Whirlwind Wing!" Slaydramon's wings flapped at a high speed and caused a wind gust that dissipated the blue flames.   
"Blade Fire!" Preydramon rocketed towards Slaydramon with his flaming wrist blades. Slaydramon timed the launch, and jumped out of the way just before Preydramon hit him. Preydramon tried to stop and burrowed himself into the ground.   
"Feather Sword!" Slaydramon sent one of his feather blades down on Preydramon, but he caught it with his own blades.   
A brief sword fight erupted between the two dragons. Blades flashed and fire blazed, and winds gusted. It was a stalemate until…   
"What's going on with Preydramon?" Davis asked. The dragon was now about the size of one of the Digidestined, and now was returning to his weakened state.   
"He's weakening," Cody said, "The power he consumed from the Digimon must be used up."   
"What, this is wrong!" Preydramon was startled. He didn't even have the strength to lift his blades, let alone fight with them.   
"No, you are wrong," Slaydramon said, "The fact that you exist is wrong. A Digimon that lives by eating other Digimon is not right. Now, I must end this," He raised his arm, "Feather Sword!" He cleanly sliced Preydramon in half. He collapsed into a pile of gelatinous goo, then exploded into bits of data.   
Slaydramon glowed purple, and the powers of Nobility reenergized in Davis's D-Terminal. Veemon ran back to Davis. Everyone agreed that this was a good time to go home.   


After about an hour of Izzy convincing Mr. Fujiyama that he must be seeing things, that he did not see five kids and a group of strange creatures get sucked into the computer, the group of Digidestined returned home.   
"So, what happened," Izzy asked.   
An hour later…   
"So, Veemon can Armor Digivolve using the crest of one of the First Digidestined."   
"Yeah," Davis responded, "And it's pretty cool."   
"I can't help but wonder who these new Digidestined are, and what happened to them."   
"Preydramon was probably one of the Digimon the First Digidestined encountered on their journey," Cody proffered, "because Preydramon mentioned that he was defeated once before by Nobility."   
"I wonder who the Digidestined of Nobility is," wondered T.K. aloud, "I'd like to meet him."   
"Or her," Kari said, "Because Myotismon believed I was a 'he' before finding me."   
"Well," Izzy said, "I could try contacting Gennai again. Although I don't know where I might find him."   
"Who's Gennai?" Yolei asked.   
"Long story. But anyway, we should try and find them. They might be able to help us."   
The newer Digidestined nodded. Any role models they could get would be nice.   


Meanwhile…   
A group of six adults and six Rookie Digimon were gathered around a large screen in the shape of a Digivice.   
"It was nice to see my crest embodied in another Digimon," the oldest, a beautiful female with blonde hair, said.   
"He looked cool," her Digimon, a furry snake, replied.   
"They could defeat Preydramon," a male, with freckles, short brown hair, and glasses, typing on a laptop, said, "And they freed a portion of our home from the Dark Digivice."   
"Which makes no sense," said his Digimon, a strange blending of bird of prey and jungle cat, considering there _is_ no Dark Digivice anymore."   
"They should reach Marine Devimon's territory tomorrow, where the Digiegg of Intelligence is. I suspect the short kid will receive the egg. Cody will inherit my crest."   
A taller, stronger male tapped on the shoulder of a shorter, skinnier male, "Hey, Eric, what do you think Armadillomon is going to become with that Digiegg?"   
Eric, a stone faced Asian man, said, "I suspect that much as Marisa's crest procured a feathered dragon, Ryan's crest will produce a winged cat." He patted his Digmon, a large turtle, "I also believe that Cody will inherit Loyalty, which will produce an aquatic reptile," he then turned to a red squirrel with a fire tail, "And I have no doubt the upstart youth will inherit Pride."   
A smaller female, with light brown hair turned to a taller female, with black hair and gray eyes, "I think the girl with purple hair will get our crests, do you, Kay?"   
"Rhea, I don't speculate, I know." Kay said, eyes flashing. A small white and red ghost Digimon floated beside her.   
"Yes, Kay," Ryan said, "We are now aware and very believing of your psychic powers, unlike before. So, I would appreciate you not rubbing it in our faces."   
"Well," said Marisa, rising, "we had better get some sleep. Now that our Digimon can Digivolve, we can go out and fix things without much of a problem." She left the room with that.   
Ryan closed his laptop. He left with Marisa, their Digimon in tow.   


In their room, Ryan and Marisa were lying awake, before Marisa spoke, "Ryan,"   
"Yes?" Her unofficial husband asked.   
"What are we going to do with these new kids? I want to help them, but we didn't help the second wave of Digidestined and they did fine."   
"Well," Ryan began, "These kids depend too much on their mentors, and here they are entering the territory where their mentors' knowledge stops. We may need to help them.   
"Unfortunately, we've been out of practice for a while. We've been here six Earth years. And yet when the Digimon Emperor came, we had to scurry like rats! Our Digimon can become Megas, and we had to run from a kid who could only control Champions, and barely Ultimates. We may not be able to help them. We may not be useful.   
"Our best bet is to wait and see if the coast is clear. If it isn't, then we should continue waiting."   
Marisa nodded. She had been the leader of this motley band for the whole time that they were in the Digiworld, and Ryan had been her advisor.   
Now, she had to trust the children who were there, in their home, to trust them to protect it.   
She was confident though, that they would succeed.   



	2. Intelligence

Izzy was not happy. Frustrated was a more appropriate term, or perhaps angry. Well, whatever you called it, Izzy was in the middle of a puzzle he could not solve, and, with Gennai's uncooperativeness, Izzy might never be able to.   
Just finding him was bad enough, since he was hiding from the Digimon Emperor. Very few Digimon even knew of his defeat, so most were still hiding in fear. Getting through to him was no help, either. He refused to give any new information, and that he could not say why.   
There were too many questions, and not enough details. All Izzy had to answer his questions were sketchy stories and Davis's D-Terminal. The Digiegg of Nobility was the cause of this entire fiasco. For some reason, Control Spire energy covered a portion of the Digiworld, a portion that, oddly enough, was shaped like a Digivice. Izzy had no explanation for that phenomenon.   
As though to confuse matters, Davis received a strange Digiegg, the Crest Egg of Nobility, which was apparently a crest of an original Digidestined. He used the egg to armor evolve Veemon into Slaydramon and defeated a Digimon that apparently faced the original Digidestined in the past. To completely botch up the entire mix, when Izzy later checked the map screen, about a third of the Digivice area was covered in a purple color. It was probably due to the Digiegg's crest color being purple, but it made zero sense.   
Giving up, Izzy thumped his head down on the table, at the exact moment Cody decided to walk in.   
"Hi Izzy," the youngest Digidestined said.   
"Hi Cody. I'm trying to find some answers to finding the identity and location of the original Digidestined, but considering the information I've got, its like trying to pan for gold in my bathtub," Izzy said, focusing some of his intellectual frustration into a witty analogy.   
"Can I give it a try?" Cody pulled a chair over and tried to reach the keyboard, but, being somewhat small, he was unable.   
"Here, this might help," Izzy reached into his backpack and pulled out a huge textbook. He placed it on the seat. When Cody sat down on it, he was able to reach the keyboard.   
Cody simultaneously felt grateful and embarrassed. He hated being treated like a little kid. The fact that he was a little kid was irrelevant. He could pull his own wait if he had to.   
"I'm trying to see whether or not there's another Digiegg of the originals anywhere near here. Perhaps if we find more of the eggs, we can find out more about them."   
"Good thinking, Cody," Izzy said. He was really patronizing Cody. Cody was extremely bright for his age, of course since he inherited Knowledge, but he still patronized him a little bit, due to his size.   
Upamon bounced over to the screen and looked at the area, "It's a lot of little islands," he said, "So Submarimon would be useful there."   
"I was thinking that while I was reviewing this area. I think you would be the best person to go in there," Izzy said.   
Cody paused a little bit before saying what was on his mind. "Izzy," he said, "do you think it would be all right if…what I mean is…"   
"Yes?"   
"Could I go and scout the islands alone?"   
Izzy responded after letting that sink in, "Well, I think it would be best if you went in their with some backup. The Digiworld can be a dangerous place."   
"I know that, Izzy, but like you said, I'm the best person for this job. And…I sort of want to prove that I can handle a fight on my own."   
Izzy thought about that before saying, "I think it would be all right. You seem dead sure about it, and you can handle it on your own. Just e-mail us if you get into any trouble."   
Upamon was rather energetic about this, "Digiport Open, Digiport Open, Digiport Open!"   
Cody held his D-3 up to the screen, waved goodbye to Izzy, and was transported to the Digital World.   


It was at the beach.   
Cody and Armadillomon were standing in front of an ocean cluttered with little archipelagos. Cody sighed, "Well, we'd better start looking around."   
"Yup, and that means I've gotta become Submarimon," Armadillomon was rather fond of his seafaring form.   
"Well then," Cody accessed the Digiegg of Reliability on his D-Terminal and yelled "Digi Armor, Energize!"   
"Armadillomon, Armor Digivolve to…Submarimon, Guardian of the Seas!"   
Armadillomon became a creature that was part submarine and part narwhal. He lifted his visor, and Cody jumped in. Submarimon used his smallish feet to pull of into the water, then propelled off in an easterly direction.   
Neither of them saw the face lurking behind them.   


"Hmm, no Control Spires," Cody commented as they passed through each of the islands.   
"That may be, but we're still picking up Dark Energy," said Submarimon.   
"Perhaps some force is trying to…wait a minute, after Davis destroyed Preydramon, that area was freed. That must mean…"   
"That there's another evil Digimon near here!" as if to jinx it, Submarimon was attacked by a school of Seadramon.   
"Oxygen Torpedo!" Submarimon launched a missile made of pure oxygen, which exploded and decimated several Seadramon.   
"Ice Blast!" Two of them began to use an ice type attack.   
"Hydro Vulcan!" a launch of water fired from Submarimon's drill and ran through the remaining troops.   
After the water settled, Cody asked, "How are you doing?"   
"I think I have a pinhole leak. I'd better get us to shore before I sink. He gyrated in a confused matter before reaching the next island. Cody hopped out and Submarimon de-digivolved.   
Armadillomon spat out a small stream of water, "Yuck, that was disgusting. What could possibly go wrong now?"   
To answer his question, blackness appeared in a section of water, before it started bubbling. Minutes later, a creature unlike any the Digidestined have seen yet exploded from the surface.   
"Yes," he said in a strange bubbly voice, "I finally have a Digidestined in my sights!"   
He looked rather odd, like a cross between a human and a squid. His head was that of a squids, trailing into a mouth of jagged teeth. His arms began as human, but his hands became clawed tentacles. The same was true for his feet. And, from his back, two tentacles sprouted and moved around, like white snakes.   
"That's Marine Devimon!" Armadillomon shouted, "He's an Ultimate level Virus type, one of the worst kinds. Half squid, half devil, he uses his Black Seas attack to render his enemies helpless."   
"Just one?" Marine Devimon asked, "Pity, I was hoping there'd be more of you brats for me to kick around. Well, one did defeat me on his own, so it all works out," he turned to Cody, opened his mouth, and yelled "Black Seas!" A huge blast of dark water shot at him.   
Cody ran, Armadillomon with him, until they were safely out of the range of Marine Devimon's attacks.   
"Cowards!" the sea devil shouted, "Come back and fight!"   
"Don't worry, Cody," Armadillomon said, "He can't stay out of water, so as long as we stay on this island, we'll be all right."   
Just as he spoke, they heard Marine Devimon shout "Ocean Pressure!" and the ground began to split in half, creating a canal. He zoomed through it.   
As the human/Digimon pair ran, Cody yelled, "Why is it that every time you say something reassuring, it backfires on us?"   


"What do you mean Cody went off on his own? Why didn't you stop him?" Davis was yelling at Izzy.   
"He really wanted to go, so I told him he could," Izzy put plainly.   
"But he's only seven! He needs us older kids there to protect him," Yolei said, more concerned than angry.   
"You shouldn't have let him go, Izzy! Supposing there's danger, he won't have us there to help him!" Davis said, steaming at Izzy.   
Meanwhile, Kari was trying to access the area where Cody was. "It's here, guys. Let's go."   
"Okay then," Davis held out his D-3, "Digiport –"   
"WAIT!" T.K. yelled. The others turned to stare at him. "I think we should let Cody go."   
"Are you nuts?" Davis said, "He's just a little kid!"   
"There's no telling what kind of danger he might get into," Kari pleaded.   
T.K. motioned for everyone to sit down, "I'll explain my reasons," Kari and Yolei sat down, while Davis leaned against the table, fuming.   
"None of you have ever been the 'little kid' of the Digidestined. Not even Kari. She entered the Digiworld later, and on different terms. When I first entered the Digiworld, I was barely older than Cody, and a lot less mature.   
"No one ever thought I could really do anything, just because I was little. Everyone just tried to protect me. It was like I could never be on my own, I was too little, I couldn't be trusted. Even when I matured, when I began to realize my duties, I was kept out of missions, just because of my age.   
"Now, I'm on the other side. We patronize Cody too much. We don't think he's that capable. Now, he's trying to prove himself to us. He deserves that chance. He has his D-Terminal and Armadillomon, and he's proven himself dozens of times that he can handle himself in a fight. If he contacts us for help, then we'll go in. But let's just let him be for now."   
There was a long silence before Davis said, "I agree."   
"What?" was the reaction from everyone in the room.   
"Hey, there's a first time for everything," was the reply.   
"I agree, but T.K., you aren't alone," Kari said, "I felt the same way, I just tried not to show it."   
T.K. smiled a discreet smile, "Thanks."   
"Uh-oh," said Izzy, who was checking something on the monitor, "Cody's in trouble."   
"What?" Yolei said, as the other new Digidestined crowded around.   
"It says, 'Help, I'm being attacked by an evil Digimon called Marine Devimon. Please come and help me if you can,'" T.K. read aloud, "We'd better go," he held out his D-3.   
The other Digidestined mimicked his actions and were transported to the Digital World. Meanwhile, Izzy checked the computer, trying to scrounge up Tentomon.   


Cody was anything but happy. He was hiding in a dark cave from Marine Devimon. He managed to send an e-mail to his friends, but he didn't know what good that would do.   
He was at a loss for ideas. Digmon wasn't strong enough to defeat Marine Devimon. Submarimon could probably match in power, but would have to fight in water, where Marine Devimon had an advantage. He couldn't do anything in a fight, except get hurt.   
He heard what seemed to be a crash of thunder outside. Great, his friends were out there. That had to be Raidramon. His friends were out there, probably being pummeled by Marine Devimon. And here he was, cowering in a cave.   
It wasn't long before Armadillomon addressed that issue, "We should go and help them. They won't hold out for long."   
"I know," Cody said, "but I can't do it. You aren't powerful enough to go out there and fight. The assessment of the situation is that we should stay here. We can't help them."   
Armadillomon let that hang there before responding, "Cody, you are one of the brightest people I have ever met, but that is the stupidest thing you have ever said.   
"Perhaps I can't fight as well as Veemon or Patamon, but that doesn't mean I can't try. And, fighting is not what your special trait is. Your trait is assessing the situation and forming plans. That's why you were granted with Knowledge. And you are also someone everyone can depend on, which is why you were given Reliability. What you're doing right now is rejecting them both.   
"I know the older kids make you feel bad, making you feel inferior due to your age. Most Digimon would say the same about me, seeing as I take it easy, and I talk in an accent, but I'm smarter than people realize. I wasn't teamed with the Digidestined of Knowledge for nothing.   
"No one expects you to know what to do, Cody. No one in your situation does. But intelligence is more than just knowledge. It's making mistakes and learning from them. It's trying, Cody, and you need to do that."   
Armadillomon's little speech left a deep impact on Cody. After hearing a distant thud, he stood up and said, "You're absolutely right. I'm just going to keep on trying, and I know we'll find a way out of anything!"   
With that, a bright light glowed in the cave, which coalesced into a new Digiegg. It was a gold-orange in color, with claws sticking out from the bottom and what appeared to be cat's eyes and saber teeth on the top, near where the head would be. The symbol on it looked like an eye surrounded by lightning bolts.   
Armadillomon noticed this and said, "Hey, I know that symbol! This is the Digiegg of Intelligence. It must belong to you!"   
"Are you sure?"   
"Never more sure of anything in my life. Now, let's join the fight, shall we?"   
"Digi Armor, Energize!"   
"_Armadillomon, Armor Digivolve to…_" Armadillomon was surrounded by golden light, which refracted and caused the rodent Digimon to become imbued with the powers of the Digimon of Intelligence.   
It looked vaguely similar to Armadillomon in body shape, but where he was once a rodent, he was now a giant cat. Giant claws appeared on his feet. His forelegs were by far longer and stronger than his hind legs. A sleek tail spurted from his back like a snake. His legs were covered in armor, as was his body, which was divided into two sections, forward, and back. The Crest of Intelligence was carved on his breastplate. Near the base of his neck was a small orb.   
His head was definitely feline. His ears were the same in this stage, albeit larger, his face covered in golden fur, and two giant saber teeth extruded from his incisors.   
He was an ancient cat, imbued with the power of lightning. He was…   
"_Smilomon, the blades of Intelligence!_"   
Cody gasped in amazement, before, regaining his composure and said, "Let's go!"   
Smilomon smiled, "Hop on my back, I'll carry you."   
They rode out, trying to find where the battle was. Smilomon sniffed the air, before saying, "The battle has moved to another island, to the south."   
"Then we'd better get there fast," Cody announced.   
"The problem with that is that this body isn't meant for running, just for fighting. And I doubt I could jump too high, so I don't know what we're going to do," and, just as he said that, two wings seemed to jump out of his back.   
"Well, that's a new one on me!" Cody was really surprised.   
"Prepare for takeoff, Cody!" and, with that, Smilomon jumped into the air and began to fly in the direction of the battle. 

"Fire Rocket!" Flamedramon yelled, as he launched himself towards the Ultimate level Digimon, completely engulfed in flames. The water devil easily swatted the fire dragon away.   
"Double Star!" Shurimon yelled, sending a huge star blade towards Marine Devimon. It bounced off, and Marine Devimon didn't even flinch.   
The same was true from the Star Showers and Rosetta Stones launched from both Pegasusmon and Nefertimon. So, with one swift motion, Marine Devimon pulled back a tentacle and swung it in a 360-degree motion, swatting all four armor Digimon into a cliff, causing them to revert to their Rookie forms.   
"Okay, this is bad…" Davis said, using a worthy-of-Webster's example of understatement.   
"Well now, one, two, three, four…where are the fifth and the sixth? There are six Digidestined and I know that. Wait, there was that short kid who ran from me a while ago, that still leaves one…"   
As though to answer him, Izzy appeared, riding on Kabuterimon's back.   
"There he is! I know it; he bears the powers of Intelligence! He must be stopped! Black Seas!" The orb of dark water shot at the flying bug, as both human and Digimon were shot from the sky, and Champion reverted to Rookie.   
"I've been waiting for this day for infinite eternities! The ability to destroy Intelligence is mine! You hide behind a different face, Crest, and Digimon partner, but it is there! I can destroy Intelligence, and, using the power from the Black Digivice, I don't have to worry about your precious Were Jaguaromon!"   
"What's a Were Jaguaromon?" Izzy wondered aloud. He turned to his partner, "Tentomon?"   
"Never heard of him, although from what I'm gathering, he was probably one of the Digimon of the first Digidestined. Marine Devimon and he must have fought, with this Were Jaguaromon the winner," Tentomon responded.   
"Say goodbye, whelp," Marine Devimon reached out a tentacle to crush Izzy and Tentomon…   
"BLADED LIGHTNING!" a flash of orange lightning emblazoned with golden blades hit Marine Devimon full force.   
"What?" he turned to his attacker.   
Hovering in midair, with Cody on his back, was Smilomon. The first thing that Marine Devimon immediately noticed was the Crest of Intelligence.   
"What?!"   
"Who's he?" Izzy shouted.   
"Distant relative of yours?" Patamon joked with Gatomon.   
"I am Smilomon. I am an ancient cat Digimon that uses the Digiegg of Intelligence to Armor Digivolve. I drop from the sky and attack with my Bladed Lightning, wrestle my opponents to the ground, and finish them off with my Sever Bite."   
"Intelligence! How incompetent of you to appear so blatantly! This will be your last mistake, Dark Seas!"   
"Bladed Lightning!" lightning struck the orb on Smilomon's back, then was shot out again as the bladed beam that attacked him earlier. Marine Devimon was hurled back a few feet.   
"Sever Claw!" Smilomon dived at a high speed and dug his foot long claws into Marine Devimon's back, dragging him close to shore.   
By now, Cody hopped of Smilomon's back, and joined up with the others, saying "Sorry for getting you all into this, I'm sure you guys won't want me coming back here for a while, seeing the trouble I've gotten into."   
Cody made a mental note that Kari, Izzy, and T.K. recoiled at that statement.   
"Well," Davis said, impervious to the pain of others, "it's okay, cause you found a new Digiegg! Now we have two Armor Digimon of the First Digidestined!"   
"Whoa," Yolei looked out at the battle in front of her, "It's like a cross between the Discovery Channel and pro wrestling."   
It was, because, as anyone who studies felines as much as the chronicler of this tale does knows, saber toothed cats finish off their prey by wrestling it to the ground, then biting the flesh of the neck.   
"SEVER BITE!" Smilomon dug his fangs into Marine Devimon's neck, causing him to begin to delete.   
"Heh, it happens twice. You fight harder than Were Jaguaromon did the last time we fought, without the benefit of a weakness on my part. Don't savor this victory, Smilomon. Now, you're in too deep. You won't stand a chance against Skull Satamon!" and, with that, the last bit of Marine Devimon's data dissipated into the air.   
Smilomon glowed orange, and the Digiegg of Intelligence was given to Cody's D-Terminal. Armadillomon wandered up to Cody.   
"Well, that was fun! Let's go home!"   


"Well, the black has been replaced by orange," Yolei said, looking over Izzy's shoulders and watching the screen.   
"Yes," Izzy said, "and from today's battle, I've come up with several theories."   
"I'd like to hear them," Cody said.   
"All of the Digimon the first Digidestined fought have been reborn, and after the Dark Digivice lost its powers, the evil Digimon took on their powers of the Dark Digivice. When Davis destroyed Preydramon, the power from the Crest of Nobility deactivated the Control Spires and restored the powers of Digivolution. The same was true for Cody destroying Marine Devimon. Approximately two sixths of the Digivice area was freed. I theorize this is because of the six crests of the first Digidestined."   
"But, didn't Gennai say there were five original Digidestined?" Kari asked.   
"He could've been wrong. He is sometimes. I don't know why he won't say anything about the original Digidestined, but he won't."   
"And why hasn't he contacted us?" T.K. asked.   
"Something about the holograms and a phone bill."   
"Well, I've got to get going, my mom's making something special…I think," Davis left, Demi Veemon on his head.   
"Yeah, my sister has a recital of some kind…I think. Man, this Digidestined thing is making lose grip on family," Yolei left, Poromon in her hands.   
"I've got to go, too," He whispered to T.K. and Kari, "Talk to him," he gestured to Cody and left.   
"I guess I should go too," Cody said, and was about to leave, until…   
"Cody, wait!" T.K. said, "We should talk."   
"I'm really sorry for getting you all in trouble, I didn't mean to, and I promise I won't go into the Digiworld without you with me," Cody had apparently rehearsed this speech a long time.   
"Cody…" Upamon was depressed to see his partner like this.   
"We weren't going to yell at you," Kari said, "We want to thank you."   
Cody blinked. He hadn't expected this, "But I got you guys in that fight with Marine Devimon! I cowered in a cave while you guys fought him for me! How can you thank me!"   
"Suppose you hadn't gotten into trouble, then Marine Devimon would still be alive. And if you hadn't hid in the cave, you'd never have found that Digiegg."   
Cody looked down, "But you guys still got into trouble for me. I don't know if I can forgive myself for that."   
"You wanted to prove yourself," T.K. said, "You're in a group with four kids at least four years older than you. You wanted to prove that you were a valuable member of this team, not just some little kid."   
Now, Cody was really surprised, "How'd you –"   
"Cody," Kari said, holding his head, "We were eight when we first went to the Digital World. The older kids always treated us like we were defenseless, even though our Digimon are the most powerful," Patamon and Gatomon puffed out their chests at this.   
"We know what its like," said T.K., "It's strange for me to look from this side and find that I'm acting just like my brother did. But, we're sorry for underestimating you."   
Cody held back a tear, "But, do you really respect me?"   
Kari looked him in the eye and said, "We trust you with our lives."   
Cody smiled, "You don't know how much that means to me," with that, he bowed and walked towards his home.   
"He reminds me so much of the both of us. Full of my innocence and with your maturity," T.K. smiled.   
"I think it's great to be the role models for a younger person," Kari held T.K.'s hand.   
"I think we'd better get going, too."   


Six figures sat at a bar, looking at the scene in front of them, three adult human, three Digimon.   
One human was sort of small and skinny, and despite being an adult, one would easily mistake him for a child. He was of Asian descent, had short black hair, black eyes, and a face that showed little or no expression. He wore a black trenchcoat, a white shirt, and black jeans. At his side was a Digimon that was similar to a huge turtle, blue in color with racing stripes down his face and shell.   
Next to him was a tan-skinned man that was almost the exact opposite of the man next to him. He was tall and muscular. His hair was in a short spiked pattern. He wore a gray T-shirt and blue jeans. Sitting at the seat next to him was a squirrel Digimon about at knee height. He had bright red fur and his tail was composed of fire.   
Next to the large man was another, who looked more at home in an office than a bar. He was of medium size, wore glasses, and had brown hair in a mushroom cut. His face was blotted with freckles. He wore an orange sweatshirt and a pair of overalls. He was currently typing on a laptop. Next to him was a very odd Digimon. It looked something like a cat and something like a bird. He was a cat sitting upright, resembling a leopard or jaguar. His arms were essentially wings, but ending in feather/fingers. His head was feline, but covered in a black helmet that curved down into a beak.   
"And, Cody has inherited my crest, as I predicted," the one on the laptop said. He drank a soda and added Smilomon to his growing list of Armor Digimon.   
"Soon, they enter the territory of Faith, where Skull Satamon waits for them," the Asian said.   
"Oh yeah?" said the larger man in a slurred voice, "Who died and made you boss of the world? Or you?" he pointed in the Asian's general direction.   
"You're drunk, aren't you Dan?" the one in glasses said.   
"Nuh-uh Ryan, I just have a speech impediment," he soon threw up in the garbage can nearby, "and a stomach virus," he then collapsed on the table, "and an inner ear infection."   
"He's not as thunk as you drink he is," said his Digimon, who was none too sober himself.   
"Hold it Flamon," said the turtle Digimon, "you shouldn't drink this much."   
"Yeah, Slidermon, well you can't handle anything stronger than lemonade."   
"Judging from your current status," said the bird/cat Digimon, "I'd say you can't handle anything stronger than water."   
"Shut up Jeagramon. All three of you."   
"Eric," Ryan, the man on the laptop, said to the Asian, "we'd better get Dan to his room. I doubt he can even move."   
Eric nodded, then they began to lift Dan and carry him to his room. Slidermon and Jeagramon began to lead Flamon out of the barroom.   
After getting Dan on his bed, the two friends discussed the next plan of attack.   
The new guys were in for a real battle. 

Okay, disclaimer time. I don't own Digimon. I own my Digidestined and their Digimon, as well as Smilomon. Smilomon's name comes from "Smilodon," the scientific name for saber-toothed tigers. Flamon's name comes from flame, Slidermon's name comes from the red-eared slider, a species of turtle that Eric, my co-author and the real-world version of the character, owns. Jeagramon's name comes from the combination of "jaguar" and "eagle", my two favorite animals. Dan is based on a real-world person I know who I have had bad feelings toward in the past. I apologize in advance for his protrayal. It's not going to improve. 


End file.
